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Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford officially invited to Team Canada’s World Juniors camp
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Photo credit: Steven Ellis
Dylan Nazareth
Dec 7, 2025, 21:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 8, 2025, 11:28 EST
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Hockey Canada officially announced their full roster of camp invites for the 2026 World Junior Championships, and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford has been invited.
The camp will run from December 12-22 in Niagara Falls before the tournament gets underway, before they confirm a final roster ahead of the tournament’s start on Boxing Day.
Danford was selected by the Leafs 31st overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL entry draft, while playing with the OHL’s Oshawa Generals. He spent three seasons in Oshawa and started the year there before he was traded to the Brantford Bulldogs in October.
While captaining the Generals last season, he saw a slight dip in his offensive game, with five goals and 20 assists in 61 games. So far in Brantford, he’s seen better results. In 14 appearances with the Bulldogs, he now has 11 assists, a sign that the new environment is helping develop his offensive skills once again. Above all, the 19-year-old is known for his defensive game and the size he brings on the blue line at 6-foot-2, 200 lbs, with Daily Faceoff prospect expert Steven Ellis writing this fall:
Danford is a guy his teammates like to rely on because he’s rarely caught making a mistake distributing the puck. I saw Danford play both sides on the blueline last year, but I think he’s got something going on the left side – it fits his shot better. Danford said he hopes to be like Chris Tanev, which I think is a solid comparison. He probably tops out as a No. 4 defenseman in Toronto, but I think he’ll be quite reliable.
Danford has never appeared with Team Canada at the World Juniors, but played with the U18 team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2023. While he’s sure to face some tough competition in fighting for a final spot with the Canadians this year, he’s projected to land on the roster, per Ellis.
The 2026 World Juniors run from December 26-January 5 in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota. After back-t0-back quarter-final exits, Canada will be coming in hungry to return to the podium once again.

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